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Topic: Poetry Fanats 2008 (Read 13773 times)

Nothing beats beer and football poetry! Yes that's right, screw football and let's have some real cultural aesthetics here. I'll start by posting one of my favourite poems, by John Keats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats. It's called "Ode To Melancholy":

No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twist Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kiss'd By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;Make not your rosary of yew-berries, Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owlA partner in your sorrow's mysteries; For shade to shade will come too drowsily, And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.

But when the melancholy fit shall fall Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,That fosters the droop-headed flowers all, And hides the green hill in an April shroud;Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose, Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave, Or on the wealth of glob?d peonies;Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows, Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave, And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.

She dwells with Beauty -- Beauty that must die; And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lipsBidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh, Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:Ay, in the very temple of Delight Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine, Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;His soul shall taste the sadness of her might, And be among her cloudy trophies hung.

Some words:

Lethe = mythical river in the land of the dead, or something like thatwolfsbane, nightshade, yew-berries = poisonous plantsProserpine = greek death goddess of sorts

Lethe = mythical river in the land of the dead, or something like that

Lethe is one of the 5 rivers separating the land of the living to the land of the deads in the Greek mythology. It was the river of Forgetfulness.Therefore, when the author says he doesn't want to go to Lethe, it means he doesn't want to forget. Melancholy needs remembrance.

Most known of Greek's Hell rivers is the Styx, due to War of Troy story and Achille's heel.Other rivers are Archeon, Cocyte and Phlegethon (not sure of English names, but at least those are French names).

Sorry for saying that but poetry is just a useless game with words, without any REAL effect. Science moves the world. Tell me a single REALISTIC reason (so don't tell that: "because it forms your soul and mentality" or" because it's 'nice' and people need nice things") why literature or any arts are important for the world!

Sorry for saying that but poetry is just a useless game with words, without any REAL effect. Science moves the world. Tell me a single REALISTIC reason (so don't tell that: "because it forms your soul and mentality" or" because it's 'nice' and people need nice things") why literature or any arts are important for the world!

You'll know the answer if you had ever seen "Equilibrium". They ARE necessary, even if it can't be prooved how important they are. Imagine if we didn't have movies, or music, or books, don't you read books, watch movies and listen to music?

I don't read books unless I have to (science).I don't like movies in general, I just watch some series and the obvious films being the part of the general basic knowledge (rather exercise, not fun).I listen to music only if I'm drunk.

Sorry for saying that but poetry is just a useless game with words, without any REAL effect. Science moves the world. Tell me a single REALISTIC reason (so don't tell that: "because it forms your soul and mentality" or" because it's 'nice' and people need nice things") why literature or any arts are important for the world!

That is complete bullshit.

First of all, you say "realistic" but you mean "material". Why should we care about what's material? Why do you think science is important for the world? I assume by "the world" you mean "human beings". To human beings, science may make it possible to live a bit longer or get to places faster, but what we need some CONTENT in life, or its pointless. Poetry and other art is this content, along with other things (love, sex, sports etc.). Science and all other material things are just tools to indirectly achieve these things.

lised

Sorry for saying that but poetry is just a useless game with words, without any REAL effect. Science moves the world. Tell me a single REALISTIC reason (so don't tell that: "because it forms your soul and mentality" or" because it's 'nice' and people need nice things") why literature or any arts are important for the world!

I think it does have a "real" (the version of "real" which is "real" to you ) effect. Fx: I write and read poetry almost everyday. It makes me feel better. Of course it doesn't matter to the world in general how I feel, BUT when I'm not well my father (who is a professor in economy) doesn't work as well as when I'm happy (I know that). I work in a bookshop so I guess my work isn't so important (when it comes to having effect in the "real" way), but I also work a lot worse, when I'm not feeling well.